LA monitoring Turner, Seager ahead of Series

LOS ANGELES -- Corey Seager and Justin Turner, the All-Star left side of the Dodgers' infield, are banged up but expected to be active for Tuesday night's Game 1 of the World Series presented by YouTube TV at Dodger Stadium.

While Seager's injury has been front of mind since he was left off the roster for the National League Championship Series presented by Camping World, there were further signs on Monday that Turner, termed "banged up" by general manager Farhan Zaidi, could be compromised by an injury of unknown severity.

LOS ANGELES -- Corey Seager and Justin Turner, the All-Star left side of the Dodgers' infield, are banged up but expected to be active for Tuesday night's Game 1 of the World Series presented by YouTube TV at Dodger Stadium.

While Seager's injury has been front of mind since he was left off the roster for the National League Championship Series presented by Camping World, there were further signs on Monday that Turner, termed "banged up" by general manager Farhan Zaidi, could be compromised by an injury of unknown severity.

Turner was held out of Sunday's team workout. On Monday, he briefly did agility drills with strength coach Brandon McDaniel and took ground balls at third base, but he did not take batting practice on the field for the second consecutive day, on the eve of the World Series. Although missing batting practice could signal a back or core issue, when asked before the workout if he had any concern about being healthy enough to play through the World Series, Turner answered forcefully: "No."

Zaidi said on Sunday that Turner missing a workout is not comparable to Seager missing a workout before the NLCS, which proved to be a precursor of a significant injury. Turner also downplayed his absence.

"The majority of my work I get done underneath in the cage and with the [pitching] machine, so with four or five days and the hot weather, I just wanted to take it easy and spend some extra time in the training room and doing my work inside," said Turner.

Turner slugged the epic walk-off home run in Game 2 and was co-MVP of the NLCS with Chris Taylor. While Turner was in the trainer's room on Sunday, Enrique Hernandez and Kyle Farmer took ground balls at third base. Turner's primary fill-in at third base this year was second baseman Logan Forsythe, and the Dodgers went 21-10 when Forsythe started there. Forsythe said he would be ready if it came to that.

"The best possible thing for me is, whatever position I'm playing that day, that's where I'm taking ground balls," Forsythe said. "If I have to come in later for J.T., I feel confident enough to where I don't have to take ground balls."

Seager, who missed the NLCS with a low back sprain sustained in the clinching Game 3 of the NL Division Series presented by T-Mobile, said he thought he had checked every box in his recovery until asked on Monday if he had tried sliding, since that was how he was injured in the first place.

"I didn't even think about that, honestly," said Seager. "I should probably do that today. That's really caught me off guard, thank you. I guess you just try not to make it a mental thing and just do it. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't mislanding. I think it was a fluke thing. I should test it, but I don't think it's a huge thing."

The Dodgers beat the Cubs in five games of the NLCS without Seager, shuffling outfielder Taylor and roster replacement Charlie Culberson in at shortstop. Culberson is expected to make the roster again to back up Seager, meaning someone else must come off the roster. Based on NLCS performance, that could be Curtis Granderson or Joc Pederson.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said "unless something unforeseen happens, I don't see how [Seager] wouldn't be" on the roster. But Roberts also said with the unpredictability of back injuries, Seager will be watched closely.

"Obviously you've got to trust the player, but we also have to trust our eyes and the medical staff," he said. "And Corey is going to do everything he can to lobby to be active and play in the World Series. And I know that. He knows that. So to have Charlie Culberson and other guys that can play short, if something does go south on us, we're definitely cognizant of that. But to have the DH potential, also, because I think from the training staff, swinging the bat really doesn't pose a problem, it's more of the bending over."

Catcher Yasmani Grandal missed a second workout to be in Arizona with wife Heather, who delivered a son on Monday. Child and mother are well and Grandal is expected to be on the roster.